Below are a number of indexes from the Archives of Michigan. Some indexes contain transcriptions of data while others are scanned PDFs of original material. Read through the description of each table to understand what material it represents and how it is organized.

The Detroit News Indexes

Originally compiled by The Detroit News, this subject index of The Detroit News newspaper totals more than 1 million index cards. The tables of PDF files below are arranged alphabetically by subject and date approximately from the late 1800’s to the late 1990’s.

An index card here at Seeking Michigan indicates that there is a clipping file for those articles. Researchers may then request to look in the clippings file here at the Archives of Michigan for the actual articles cited or visit a research institution that has the newspaper on microfilm. Institutions that have microfilm copies of The Detroit News include the Library of Michigan and the Detroit Public Library. At this time, the Archives of Michigan does not have a set of The Detroit News on microfilm.

Because the cards are organized by subject, researchers should be prepared to look for any number of different headings.

Alphabetical List of The Detroit News Index Cards

Naturalization Indexes

Through the hard work of dedicated volunteers, many of our naturalization records are indexed. These records are primarily organized by county because they were created at the county level. There are additional counties that have not been indexed or whose indexes are too large to put online. Click to our Guide to Immigration and Naturalization records for a complete list.

The indexes are PDF files (Adobe Acrobat Reader required). If you find a relative, you can order a copy of these records through our online store.

Last but not least, misspellings and name variations often occur in old records. Please be aware of this when searching.

Military Indexes

Thanks to the support of the Talbert and Leota Abrams Foundation, the Archives of Michigan can make Michigan military information more accessible than ever before. This funding has greatly improved access to military collections of genealogical value. A list of Archives of Michigan database resources appears below.

If you find a relative, you can order a copy of these records through our online store.

List of Military Indexes by Conflict

Civil War

List of Principals and Substitutes
From Archives of Michigan record group 59-14, series 26, this table indexes an abstract of a registry of drafted men and their substitutes. The index includes the name of the principal (the man who was drafted), the name of the substitute (the man who actually served), the regiment and the company in which the substitute served. The volumes at the Archives of Michigan also include principal’s residence, disposal date, marital status, age, and term of service along with the substitute’s residence, and manner disposed.

The Abrams Foundation also funded the Civil War Graves Database, a project completed by a partnership of the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Department, Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. To access this index, click the “Michigan Civil War Graves Database” link above.

Grand Army of the Republic Posts
This index provides general facts about various posts in the Grand Army of the Republic in Michigan including post number, name of post, city, county, organization date, disbanded date and notes. This can help connect researchers to a post number when he/she only knew a city or county. The Archives of Michigan holds records of posts as part of collection 63-19. These records consists of various types of correspondence, some of which include applications for membership.

An index hosted by the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, this database provides membership roster information.

Spanish American War

Spanish American War Medal Recipients
The original volume is in record group 59-14, series 24, at the Archives of Michigan. Entries are alphabetical by name of applicant. The index is a full transcription of the original volume.

World War I

World War I Guest Register
The guest register from the clubroom of Michigan Soldiers and Sailors Headquarters in New York is in the record group, 78-92 at the Archives of Michigan. This volume, which is part of the records compiled by the War Preparedness Board (Michigan Department of Military Affairs), lists the name, home residence, organization, station, and next friend for each soldier, along with a remarks column. The index contains the name of the guest and the volume and page number where the rest of the entry can be found. For more information on this collection, read our “Look” article, A Real Michigan Welcome.

World War II

Photograph Indexes

There are numerous photographic collections at the Archives of Michigan, a few of which are indexed here. These indexes are available in order to prepare researchers to visit the Archives of Michigan. These collections have not been digitized but are viewable in the Archives of Michigan reading room.

List of Photograph Indexes

This is a listing of the approximately fifteen thousand portraits available at the Archives of Michigan organized alphabetically by name. The collection includes portraits of Michigan’s governors, legislators, and state officials. Other people depicted in the collection include 1,347 Civil War soldiers, inventors, auto industry pioneers, and other significant contributors to Michigan’s history.

This listing specifies photographs that are held at the Archives of Michigan as part of record group 87-160 of different Civilian Conservation Corps Camps. Individuals are not typically identified in photographs, but the images of the camps can provide insight into what life was like for enrollees.

For years any photographic material brought into the Archives of Michigan was placed in a general photograph collection. While this is no longer our practice, the general photograph collection consists of 350,000 images organized by subject. This list provides you with the subject list of these photographs in order to identify folders of images to review when visiting the Archives of Michigan. The “Town and City Scenes” subjects have been digitized and are available to view through the Seeking Michigan Main Streets collection.